Senses of the Empire

Eleanor Betts is Baron Thyssen Lecturer in Classical Studies at the Open University. Her research focuses on the multisensory interrelationships of the human body, material culture and archaeological landscapes. Her particular areas of interest are Roman urbanism and religion in Roman and Iron Age Italy (primarily Picenum, modern Marche), with an emphasis on concepts and use of space.

• Introduction: Senses of EmpireEleanor BettsChapter 1 The Sounds of the City: from Noise to Silence in Ancient RomeRay LaurenceChapter 2 The Multivalency of Sensory Artefacts in the City of Rome Eleanor BettsChapter 3 Beyond Smell: the Sensory Landscape of the Roman fullonicaMiko FlohrChapter 4 Soundscape of the Street: Architectural Acoustics in OstiaJeffrey VeitchChapter 5 Sensory Archaeologies: a Vindolanda SmellscapeThomas J. DerrickChapter 6 A Sense of Grief: the Role of the Senses in the Performance of Roman MourningValerie M. HopeChapter 7 Blood, Fire and Feasting: The Role of Touch and Taste in Graeco-Roman Animal SacrificeCandace WeddleChapter 8 Babes in Arms? Sensory Dissonance and the Ambiguities of Votive ObjectsEmma-Jayne GrahamChapter 9 All That Glitters: Roman Signet Rings, the Senses and the SelfIan J. MarshmanChapter 10 Tuning into the Past: Methodological Perspectives in the Contextualised Study of the Sounds of Roman AntiquityAlexandre VincentChapter 11 Motion Sensors: Perceiving Movement in Roman PantomimeHelen SlaneyChapter 12 Scents of Place and Colours of Smell: Fragranced Entertainment in Ancient RomeJo DayAfterword: Towards a Methodology for Roman Sensory StudiesEleanor Betts

"...a stimulating contribution to a still relatively new question in the study of ancient life worlds, which has great potential for knowledge." - Ursula Quatember, Bryn Mawr Classical Review 2017"This volume explicitly sets out to spark a debate about sensory studies and antiquity ... papers on different senses are deliberately interwoven rather than separated into sections on taste, touch, smell, etc ... Perhaps the best feature of the book is its encouragement to experiment with sensory methods and its positioning of itself as the beginning of a conversation rather than a definitive statement." - Britta Auger, The Classical Journal 2018"This volume makes the Roman Empire seem both strange and exceptionally vivid... In Betts’ edited volume, the 12 essays put literary and archaeological evidence into effective dialogue. The volume’s great strength lies in the methodologies it sets forth for a broad range of evidence (signet rings, saffron, votive offerings, musical instruments), contexts (streets, cloth cleaners, forts), and events (funerals, sacrifices, pantomime, shopping). Scholars seeking models for their own multisensory analyses or enticing case studies for the classroom will find this book rewarding." - Kimberly Cassibry, American Journal of Archaeology"Senses of the Empire is undoubtedly destined to become an essential work of reference in the new trend of Sense Studies in Ancient History." - Antón Alvar Nuño, The Journal of Roman Studies"...a high-quality, lively and inventive collection of essays, which will do much to stimulate further study in this field... In this excellent collection, we can see many of the ways in which the senses served as the conduit through which the exercise of power could flow, and overall it succeeds in taking the study of the senses in antiquity to a new level of theoretical insight and detailed investigation." - Jerry Toner, The Classical Review